Ship Combat Fast Start - WordPress

Ship to Ship Combat (fast start rules)Optional Rules for Dungeons and Dragons 3.5IntroductionThis is a paired down version of my full ship to ship combat rules. The main difference is that we are not using the wind and PCs are onlydirecting ship movements and firing ship weapons. In other words, no personal weapons or spells.Uses One Minute TurnsShip combat uses a unit of time called the ship turn, or simplyturn for short. A turn is one minute long, which is equal to tennormal combat rounds.Uses a Hex Combat MatEach hex on the combat map is equal to 50 feet.Ships Move in Initiative OrderThe ships’ initiative checks determine the order in which theyact, from highest to lowest. At the start of a battle, each ship makesa single initiative check, adding the ship’s shiphandling modifier.Each ship acts in initiative order, with the check applying to allturns of the combat.The Basics of Ship MovementThe number of hexes per turn a ship can move works as poolof points—termed move action points—which are spent to movehexes on the combat map. Table 6: “Boats and Ships” lists thespeed for each type of ship. The number in parentheses followingthe ships speed is the number of move actions that the ship cantake in a turn.Moving forward is simple, and all ships follow the same rules,regardless of how maneuverable they are. Moving forward onehex takes one move action point.Ship combat has strict rules for facing. Each hex has six sides,and the front of the ship must be pointing towards one of thesesides; it cannot be facing one of the corners. In order to turn, a shipmust use some of its move action points to change facing.TurningA ship must move a number of hexes equal to itsmaneuverability rating before it can turn by one hex face. If it wasmoving at the end of the previous turn, you can consider the totaldistance traveled in a straight line when calculating in which hex itcan change its direction this turn.Ships with a “good” maneuverability rating (amaneuverability rating of 0) don’t have to spend move actionpoints to turn, but must move at least one hex forward before theycan turn by one hex face.Rotate in PlaceAdd one to the ships maneuverability rating for the number ofmove actions that must be spent to rotate a ship by one hex facewhen not moving forward. A ship with a “good” maneuverabilityrating (a maneuverability rating of 0) can rotate in any directionwhile stopped as a free move action.Reduce SpeedThe helmsman can reduce the speed of the ship to matchslower ships effortlessly.Multi-Hex ShipsEach hex is 50 feet long, and many ships will be larger thanthis. A ship might be both longer and wider than 50 feet, in whichcase they take up more than one hex, possibly in multipledirections. See the image below for examples. In these cases theforward most hex is considered the front of the ship and its turningpoint. When any turns are made, they are based on this hex, andthe rest of the ship turns around that hex. For a ship up to 60 feetlong, just use one hex. For a ship up to 110 feet long only use twohexes.Diagram 1: Single and Multi-Hex Ships

Ship to Ship Combat – Fast start rulesFiring Ship WeaponsRangeWhere the Ship is When the Weapon FiresAll ship weapons have a listed range, in hexes. They receiveno penalty to attack ships within this range. For every hex beyondthis, they have a penalty of -2 to their attack roll.During a ships turn the attack actions are performed while theship is moving and can be performed at any point along its path.The attacks can be made before any move actions points are used,after one or more are used, or after they have all been used.Threats and Critical HitsEach weapon has a threat rating. If the attacker rolls thisnumber or greater, and the attack was a hit, the attacker has scoreda threat. Roll the attack again, using the all the same modifiers. Ifthe second roll is a success, the attack is a critical hit. If it is afailure, it is a normal hit. On a critical hit roll the weapon’s listeddamage twice, including bonuses, such as enhancement bonuses. Ifthe weapon has a multiplier of x3 roll the damage thrice. Alldamage from a critical hit is totaled before hardness is subtracted.The Attack RollThe basic ship’s weapon attack roll is:1d20 Base Attack Weapon Modifier – Range Penalties Your ship’s Size ModifierThe total is compared to the target ship’s current ArmorClass; if the roll is equal to or greater, it is a hit. Otherwise, it is amiss. A 20 is always a hit and a 1 is always a miss. A natural 20 isalso a threat—a possible critical hit.ReloadEach ship weapon has a listing for reload. The number inparentheses indicates the number of times the weapon can be firedin one ships turn.Base AttackAttacking with a ship weapon is based on the base attackbonus of the leader of the weapon crew. If the crew leader does nothave the appropriate Weapon Proficiency they suffer a -4 penaltyto hit.Table 3: Ship SizeShip SizeSizeExampleCreatureModifierEquivalent 16SmallVery Fine 8KayakMediumFine 4DugoutLargeDiminutive 2RaftHugeTiny 1Small SailingGargantuanSmallShip0Sailing Gargantuan-8GreatshipColossalFiring ArcsA ship mounted weapon can fire into a limited area, termed itsfiring arc. There are four firing arcs: forward, aft, port (left) andstarboard (right). The firing arcs are illustrated below. The firingarc of a weapon is determined by its placement and facing. Aweapon will be capable of firing into only one of these arcs.Multihex ships work the same way. Decide which hex of theship a given weapon resides on, then use that single hex todetermine its firing arc.Weapons are typically mounted on a turret that allows theweapon to change its firing arc. It takes one turn to rotate a weaponinto a new arc. This can be done during reloading so the weaponcan fire on the turn following turning.Diagram 2: Firing ArcsWeapon ModifierSome weapons are more accurate than others. Each shipweapon has an attack modifier that is added to all attack rolls.2

by Ronny HartShip DamageEffects of Crew CasualtiesShip weapons are fired at the other ships hull. If you want tofire at the rigging, or at anything else, refer to the full ship to shipcombat rules.When the crew is reduced by 10%, the ship looses 1 moveaction point per turn. When reduced by 25%, the ship looses 2move action points per turn. When reduced by 50%, the shiplooses 4 move action points per turn. When reduced by 90%, theship looses 5 move action points per turn. Note that theseadjustments might result in the ship being unable to turn or move.Effects of Hit Point DamageDamaged (reduced to 3 /4 hit points): -1 to Seaworthinesssaves. The crew suffers 10% casualties. One random PC mustsucceed on a Difficulty 15 Reflex save or take 1d6 damage.Wrecked [reduced to 1 /2 hit points]: -2 to Seaworthinesssaves, 1 to Maneuverability Rating. A minor leak develops (seebelow). The crew suffers 25% casualties. Lose half of the shipweapons randomly selected (rounded down, minimum loss of oneweapon). Crew must make a Will save at DC 15 to keep fighting.One random heroic character (PC) must succeed on a Difficulty 15Reflex save or take 2d6 damage.Disabled [reduced to 1 /4 hit points]: -3 to Seaworthinesssaves, 2 to Maneuverability Rating. A major leak develops (seebelow). The crew suffers 50% casualties. Lose of all shipweapons. Crew must make a Will save at DC 20 to keep fighting.One random heroic character (PC) must succeed on a Difficulty 15Reflex save or take 4d6 damage.Derelict [0 hit points]: When your ships hit points drop toexactly 0, it is derelict. It has no Maneuverability and no windspeed and no weapons able to fire. The crew suffers 90% casualtiesand disbands. Their ship has no effective crew at all. One randomheroic character (PC) must succeed on a Difficulty 20 Reflex saveor take 4d6 damage. It can move at half speed under oars(assuming it still has at least half the normal number of rowersavailable). It cannot ram without additional damage. If it performsany other move action (or any other strenuous action) it takes 1point of damage after completing the act. It is now at –1 hit points,and it's sinking. If its weapons are still manned and functional, itcan make attacks at an additional -4 penalty to hit.A ship can also become derelict when recovering fromsinking. In this case, it’s a step toward recovery, and it can havefewer than 0 hit points (see Stable Ships and Recovery, below).Sinking [–1 TO – (9 Seaworthiness) hit points]: Whenyour ship’s current hit points drop to between –1 and – (9 Seaworthiness) inclusive, it’s sinking. A sinking ship can take noactions. It can't move or attack. A sinking ship loses 1 hit pointevery turn. This continues until the ship sinks or becomes stable(see below)Sunk [– (10 Seaworthiness) hit points or lower]: Whenyour ship’s current hit points drop to – (10 Seaworthiness) orlower it’s sunkEffects of LeaksMinor Leak: The ship is taking on water and may sufferfurther damage as a result (see “Continuing Leak Damage” below).The ship makes a Seaworthiness save against a DC of 15. A Craft(Shipwright) bonus can be used to aid this check. If the ship makesthe Seaworthiness save, the leak is sealed and the ship takes noadditional damage.A Craft (Shipwright) check can be made the next turn andrepeated every turn after that at DC 20, success puts an immediateend to continuing damage.Major Leak: The ship is taking on large amounts of waterand may suffer further damage as a result (see continuing leakdamage below). The ship makes a Seaworthiness save against aDC of 20. A Craft (Shipwright) bonus can be used to aid thischeck. If the ship makes the Seaworthiness save, the leak is sealedand the ship takes no additional damage.A Craft (Shipwright) check can be made the next turn andrepeated every turn after that at DC 25, success puts an immediateend to continuing damage.Continuing Leak Damage: The ships hull takes an additional1d6 points of damage form a minor leak and 2d6 points of damagefrom a major leak each turn until the leak is repaired. Thisadditional damage is from water entering the hull of the ship andcan be reduced at a rate of 2 points of damage each turn for eachperson bailing. This damage reduction due to bailing out waterdoesn’t count as a repair that would cause a sinking ship to stoplosing hit points and become stable.3